Location matters when it comes to smoke alarms and this year’s Fire Prevention Week campaign from Oct. 4 to 10 will focus on that message. This announcement was made by Labour and Immigration Minister Erna Braun.
“We want to raise awareness of the importance of smoke alarm placement and encourage all Manitobans to have working smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside each sleeping area and on every level of their home including the basement,” said Minister Braun. “Remember the slogan – Hear the Beep Where You Sleep, Every Bedroom Needs a Working Smoke Alarm.”
The Manitoba Office of the Fire Commissioner (OFC) is joining forces with the Manitoba Association of Fire Chiefs (MAFC), the Firefighters Burn Fund, Red River Mutual Insurance, and fire safety advocates nationwide during Fire Prevention Week, to remind residents that in a fire, seconds count.
Half of home fire deaths result from fires reported at night between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. when most people are asleep. Home smoke alarms can alert people to a fire before it spreads, giving everyone enough time to get out.
According to the latest research from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), working smoke alarms cut the chance of dying in a fire by half. Three out of five fire deaths have resulted from fires in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms.
This year’s Fire Prevention Week campaign includes the following safety tips:
- install smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside each separate sleeping area and on every level of the home including the basement;
- interconnect all smoke alarms throughout the home because this way, when one sounds, they all do;
- test alarms at least monthly by pushing the test button;
- replace all smoke alarms when they are 10 years old or sooner if they don’t respond properly;
- make sure everyone in the home knows the sound of the smoke alarm and understands what to do when they hear it;
- if the smoke alarm sounds, get outside and stay outside and go to the designated outside meeting place; and
- call the fire department from outside the home.
The OFC will be hosting a kick off event Monday, Oct. 5 at 11 a.m. at École West Park School in Altona at 83 Third St.
“We want everyone to know the sound that will wake them up and to practice their escape routes,” said Martin Haller, president, MAFC. “That quick test of a smoke detector can save your life.”
“Smoke alarms are your first line of defense,” said Martin Johnson, chair, Firefighters Burn Fund. “Having alarms sound from anywhere in the home is the goal of proper installation.”
Through educational, family-oriented activities, residents can learn more about the importance of having a working smoke alarm in every bedroom, Minister Braun said.
To find out more about Fire Prevention Week programs and activities across the province, contact the OFC at www.firecomm.gov.mb.ca. To learn more about smoke alarms and ‘Hear the Beep Where You Sleep, Every Bedroom Needs a Working Smoke Alarm’, visit the National Fire Prevention Association’s website at www.firepreventionweek.org and www.sparky.org/fpw.
“We also remind Manitobans to check batteries in smoke and fire detectors and ensure they are in good working order when daylight saving time ends and they turn their clocks back Sunday, Nov. 1,” said Minister Braun.
